


New Years Day

by tstrash



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-24 09:23:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13210764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tstrash/pseuds/tstrash
Summary: Inspired by Taylor Swift's song, New Years Day.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Some notes before you read. Yes, I realize that the lyrics aren't in order. And before you read, they are not in an established relationship, for now.

_There’s glitter on the floor after the party_  
_Girls carrying their shoes down in the lobby_  
_Candle Wax and polaroid’s on the hardwood floor_  
_You and me from the night before_

_January 1st_

After coming out of her slumber, the only thing she felt was pain in her head. A tell tale sign of a nasty hangover to plague her for the day. A feeling she hasn’t felt in quite some time. Yet she figured she wouldn’t be the only one fighting the after effects of a night of heavy. When she rolled over onto her side hoping to fall back into sleep, her arm hit the warm skin of someone else occupying her bed. Going against her better judgement, she slowly blinked her eyes open to see who was beside her. When his bare chest came into focus, her eyes shot to herself. She wasn’t wearing her own shirt, but it was oddly similar to the shirt he was wearing last night. No bra either. Slipping a finger under the covers to lift them up, she realized she was wearing her sleeping shorts and let out a heavy sigh of relief. She looked back over at him, still sounds asleep, his hands pulling the blanket up to his chin when he felt her shuffle. The thought crossed her mind in many different ways.

_What happened last night? What did we do? Why am I wearing his shirt? How did we end up sharing my bed?_

Too much thinking caused her head to throb harder than it did before. When she regained the strength a couple minutes later, she pulled herself up into a sitting position and let a dizzy spell run its course before fully standing. She found some pajama pants on the chaise in the corner of the room and slipped them on before opening the door to the post party mess that cluttered her apartment. Heading straight for the kitchen, stepping over piles of glitter, confetti, cups, bottles, cans and other things, she finally reached the cabinet with the aspirin and poured herself a glass of water and popped a couple pills in her mouth, hoping to curb her headache. She took her glass of water over to the couch, and thumped down, spilling some water over the edge of the glass and onto her shirt. She didn’t even care, immediately putting her head to rest on a pillow. When she rubbed her temples few times and decided that there was a more optimal position to rest, she scanned the chaos that took over her usually very neat living room. Looking directly down from the couch, a stack of polaroid’s were scattered on the floor. She gently picked up the photo’s, sifting through, trying to find any hints as to what went on last night. Her only memories were everyone arriving in a casual fashion, showing everyone the booze cooler, a very heartfelt conversation with Laurence and celebrating her success with a couple shots, midnight, just after that, and then holding Madi’s hair for her when she was puking about 45 minutes later. After looking through the first few depicting Zack and Olivia kissing, Adria and Madi kissing, and Laurence and Nik kissing, she hesitated when flipping to the next photo in the pile, sensing there was a pattern to the pictures. 

Sure enough, her intuitions led the way again. Standing in front of her white Christmas tree, both hands around his neck, both of his on her hips, they were sharing a delicate kiss and someone thought they should capture the moment. She examined the photo intensely from every angle, trying to pick out every little detail, and found herself grinning from ear to ear the entire time.  
Her trance was interrupted when the floor boards let out creaks from down the hall. She sat herself up, slowly and pressing her fingers to her temples and rubbing in small circles before bringing her eyes to focus on the person coming down the hallway. Olivia was first to emerge, very closely followed by Zach. “Oh, hi” Olivia squeaked when she noticed Tessa on the couch. “Morning” Tessa let out followed by a yawn. “Thanks for having a party, it was so much fun” Zach chimed in. “Yes, thank you” Olivia added and followed with “we’re gonna head back to our place to sleep some more.” “Thanks for coming” Tessa finished with before leading them to the door and digging through her closet to help Olivia find her shoes. When Olivia found her shoes, she didn’t bother putting them on, figuring she would just carry them the 3 floors down to her place. With a quiet see you later, she shut the door behind them and returned back to the couch.  
Two hours later and the clock read 12:35. Feeling a little better waking up for the second time, she made her way down the hallway, surveying who was still around. Everyone must’ve up and left while she fell back to sleep because the guest room was empty, there was no one littering the halls, and she wasn’t stepping over sleeping bodies plunked on the floor in the living room. Before she opened the door to her room, she put her head down and sighed, hoping that he wasn’t there, but also hoping that he was. She turned the handle slowly and used her other hand to push it open gently, making sure it doesn’t squeak, just in case he was in there. Only opening it halfway, the lump under the covers remained where it was, a mop of brown hair poking out of the top of the white sheets, a crinkle moving up and down in perfect rhythm. 

 

_You squeeze my hand three times in the back of the taxi  
I can tell that it’s gonna be a long road _

_December 26th_

He arrived to her home in London with a minute to spare before the taxi pulled up in front of the driveway. They were heading to the airport to get back to Montreal to resume training. Nationals were sneaking up on them and the Olympics were a not so far away dream anymore. When they had loaded all of their bags in the trunk and shuffled their way into the back seat of the yellow car, the cab bustled off into the brisk winter morning.  
Absent mindedly, he let his head fall against the window, taking in the last view of his home base. It was going to be a long time before they came back here. When she caught him longing out the window, she timidly slid her hand onto his that was resting comfortably on his lap. A smile curved on his face before his eyes met hers. He squeezed her hand before speaking. “What was that for?” he asked. “What’s on your mind?” she asked softly, leaning her head back onto the head rest as she waited for a reply. He sighed and let his head fall back, mirroring the position of hers, as he turned his head to resume staring out the window. “I miss this place” he croaked. “I know, me too” her voice grew softer as her hand wrapped tighter around his. She turned her head, copying his actions and looking out the window.  
The ride was silent for a few minutes before she turned her head back to look at him. His eyes strongly focused on every detail that zoomed by. “Have you thought about after the Olympics?” she broke the silence. “I always think about it, you know that Tess” he whipped his head around to look at her. “I know, I know, but have you like, _really_ thought about it?” she pressed on as she let her head rest on the seat. “Well, were staying in Montreal, were gonna do some coaching, you’ve got so much going on sometimes I can’t even keep up! Were gonna do some shows and-“ he stopped mid sentence when he saw her face drop a little bit. “That isn’t what you meant, was it?” his intuition kicked in and realized what she had been thinking. Her head slowly and small shook no, her eyes falling down to where their hands were still clasped together. “What are we gonna do, Scott?” her voice broke a little. “I think that we shouldn’t worry about it. Let things play out the way they are supposed to and we can figure it out when it comes up” he said, reassuring her with a smile. “I guess” she reciprocated the smile before continuing. “I just need my best friend around for a long time. I guess if it’s more than that eventually, then that’s a bonus.” “You can’t get rid of me that easily! Isn’t it always a bonus seeing me outside of training?” he smirked at her before squeezing her hand again. “Any time I see you is a bonus” she answered with a blatant tone, as if he asked an obvious question. She let her head fall back to the other side, leaning against the window, now the roles reversed as she stares out the window of her home town, while he stares at her. He let the silence take over, letting her have her space to think as he clasped their hands tighter and closer, letting his fingers interlace with hers.  
“I think I’m gonna throw a new year’s party. You in?” she broke the silence yet again, and turned her head over to meet his gaze. As almost if a magnet drew his eyes back to hers, he didn’t think about his answer. “Virtch throwing a party? Now that is something I have to see!” his face showing a mix of disbelief but excitement. “Well, had you said no, I probably wouldn’t have gone through with it. Can’t have the most important guest not show.” “Obviously, I’m the life of the party” he told her with a scoff and a smirk as he ran his hand that was propping his head up, through his hair. Her giggle was infectious, and easily caught by him. “Who else are you going to invite?” he inquires. “Probably all of Gadbois. But I know a few aren’t in the country and some already have plans so we’ll see who shows” she responds with ease. He knew exactly who she was talking about and didn’t press the matter any further. “Sounds fun! Can’t wait” he said, squeezing her hand for a third time. 

 

_I’ll be there if you’re the toast of the town babe  
Or if you strike out and you’re crawling home_

_December 31st_

“Have any-any of you…. Seen Scott?” she slurred out to the group that crowded her living room. The alcohol she had been consuming all night was catching up to her. Someone had heard her and from across the room she heard a voice answer “last time I saw him, he was in the den with Nik talking about hockey or something.” Before she thanked anyone, she stumbled down the narrow hall of her Montreal apartment towards the den. The door was wide open and just like the voice had said, Scott and Nik were sat on the floor, resting their backs against the chairs, beers in hand, looking at something on Scott’s phone. “I’m telling you, the leafs have a good chance at making the playoff” Scott was adamant as he aggressively pointed to what she assumed were stats on his phone. “Oh, hey you” his voice got soft and gentle when he noticed her in the doorway. “I thou-thought I would fin-nd you here” she tried to make out. “Come sit down” he coaxed her in with his hand, motioning her to join him on the floor. “We’ll resume this later, Moir” Nik said, before picking himself up off the floor before nodding at Tessa and exiting back into the hall. “How are you doing?” he whispered against her ear as she immediately found her spot curled up next to him on the floor. He let his arm naturally wrap around her shoulders and pulled her in closer. “I am fabulous!” she sang and smiled at him, before kissing his cheek. “Throwing a party was such a good idea, how are you doing” she excitedly asked him. Through his laughs at a very cute, but very drunk Tessa he responded with “good, it’s a good party.” “You know why I came to find you?” she made out a full thought. “Why?” he quizzed her. “You are the only, and I mean only person who can cut me off from drinking and I will listen to.” “You want me to cut you off? How much have you had to drink?” “Enough to warrant a hangover in the morning” she concluded, before throwing her head back to rest partially on his arm and partially on the chair. “Okay, kiddo. I’m gonna cut you off” he told her firmly. “No, you can’t cut me off!” “But you just-“ “Take a shot with me first, and then you can cut me off” she reciprocated the firmness of her comment. “I guess I can’t say no to a shot with you” he laughed again, before standing up. “I’ll go get the alcohol, just stay here” he told her before leaving to the kitchen to find the liquor.  
When he returned with two shot glasses and a bottle of something that looked foreign and smelt strong, he rejoined her on the floor, poured them shots, they cheers’d and let the liquor burn their throats, both wincing at the harshness of the drink as it went down. “How much have _you_ had to drink, Mr. Moir” she choked out, pressing her finger to his chest. “Not nearly as much as you, but I definitely feel a buzz” he answered. “Can I just say, maybe it’s the alcohol talking, but you are looking mighty fine tonight” she smirked at him before laying her head down, cheek pressing against the seat of the chair. “You look beautiful, you always do Tess” he told her softly before tucking a strand of her long curly hair behind her exposed ear. As her cheeks flushed red, he could tell a thought was mulling in her head. “What are you thinking?” he mirrored her position, laying his cheek on the seat of the chair, facing her and their eyes finally locked in a gaze. “Do you remember what it was like after Sochi?” her voice cracked a little before it went small, anxiously anticipating his response. “Well yeah, it was hell. Cassandra dumped me, I drank a shit ton, got pretty fat-“ “No you didn’t” she interrupted. “It was a mess, to say it nicely” he huffed and let his eyes flutter shut briefly before her voice brought him back. “I hated seeing you like that, you know? This time, I’m gonna be there for you. Doesn’t matter if we totally fail and end up like losers, or if we become successful and rich. I want to be there for it all. I’m gonna be your best friend through it all, you and me against the world, Scott” she let her guard down, and her drunk persona shone through. “You’ll get drunk with me if we suck?” his head perked up a little bit, hoping she would get the joke. Her giggle was infectious, and he joined her in a laughing fit as they both doubled over each other before it started to die down. “I’ll get drunk with you if we suck” she told him, wiping a tear that poked out from under her eye. “This is why you’re my best friend” he added before he rested his forehead on her shoulder and she moved a hand into the back of his hair.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> part 2

_Don’t read the last page_   
_But I stay when you're lost and I'm scared and you’re turning away_

_January 1st_

It’s close to 3 am when everyone retreats to their previously arranged sleeping set up’s, arrangements meaning whoever got the guest bed first was the luckiest, the couch was not bad, and the rest had to find blankets and pillows to spread on the floor. She had lot’s of chairs if worse came to worse. Still in a very drunken state, she did one last check of her living room and guest room, bidding everyone goodnight, when she saw him standing in the kitchen pouring two glasses of water. When he saw her stumbling towards him, he held up one of the glasses to her, a smile teasing his face and she moved closer to him. She took the glass of water, chugging the entire thing before setting it down and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. “Mmm, thank you” she sighed with satisfaction. “I figured you could use that” he said before pulling her into a hug with one arm, and sipping his glass with the other. As she looked out into the living room, noticing the crowded area, most of which were already sleeping, she looked up through her lashes at him. “Come sleep in my bed with me” her words soft. He reciprocated with a smile and a small kiss to her forehead before she broke from his embrace took his land, leading him down the hallway to her bedroom.   
Still in their clothes, they made their way into bed, end up sitting cross legged facing each other. “Now what?” he asked, a smirk threatening his face. “I don’t know, now what?” she teased the idea. “We could pick up where we left of?” Scott suggested before leaning in closer and gently pressing his lips to hers. Their lips moved in perfect unison with another as if they had been practicing this delicate dance forever, even though they haven’t, really. As his tongue moved around her lips, asking permission to move in farther, she cupped a hand on his face, leading him gently back to a comfortable place. He obeyed as the dance started to finish. “Maybe we should leave it at that for tonight” her voice breathy and soft as a smile pursed her lips. “Okay, whatever you want” he said, placing one more kiss to her swollen lips. She rolled out of bed and slowly carried herself over to her dresser. “Sorry, I don’t really have anything for you to sleep in” she told him while digging through her drawers, before pulling out her favorite sleeping shorts that were littered with puppies in various costumes. “Don’t look… or do, it’s not like you haven’t seen it before” she said, absent mindedly taking off her pants to change. He sat there, trying his best not to peek through the cracks of his fingers he had pressed firmly against his face, but he couldn’t help it. “Okay, you’re safe now” she added when she was finished changing. “I can just sleep in these pants, it’s not a big deal” he said to her. “You are not sleeping in jeans, Scott” she told him firmly, crossing her arms over her chest, now entering a stare down with the man in her bed. “Well, if you’re okay with me sleeping with no pants then I guess those are your only options” he suddenly loved the later option, the smirk returning to his face, followed by an eyebrow raise. “No pants, fine with me” she shrugged, trying to play it cool. “I usually don’t sleep with a shirt on either… is that okay?” he pushed the matter further. “You might as well be comfortable” she threw over her shoulder as she started looking through her drawers again for her shirt. He took his jeans off and folded them neatly, resting them on the floor beside the bed. As she was turning around to see him, his shirt was halfway off, muscles protruding from his arms and chest, as she felt her knees go weak. The look on her face was one of frustration as she was still in her sequin tank top from the party. “What’s up?” he asked her after pulling his shirt off and noticing her look. “My good sleeping shirt is in the wash, now I don’t know what to do” she told him as she let her gaze travel to the black t shirt he had in his hands. “Here” he said as he chucked his shirt across to her. When she picked it up and exchanged her tank top for his shirt, she smiled when she saw his reaction. “You look better in it anyways, T” his grin from ear to ear made her heart burst as her cheeks flushed bright red. She let a shy smile take her lips and she looked down to the ground before whispering a small “thanks.” “You should sleep, come on” he mentioned quietly as he lifted the sheets on her side for her to crawl in. She followed his lead and curled into bed, making sure not to be too close to him, but close enough she could feel his heat. The silence took over the room for a few minutes before she rolled over, finally feeling the need to face him. “You know” she began in a soft whisper “you’re going to be the best coach in the world one day” she continued and he rolled over to face her as well. “Hmm?” he hummed out, making sure he heard her right. “I know we agreed to not look into the future too far, but I just want you to know that I want to be there for you, through it all” she tucked her chin down to her chest until she felt her forehead meet his. “How do you know I’m gonna be the best coach?” his voice soft and husky. “Because your talented, your driven, your fearless, your you. I just know.” 

 

_But I’ll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Years Day_

_January 1st_

Even though a hangover still plagued her, the place was a disaster and there was no sense in sitting around staring at the bottles, cans, cups, and confetti that littered every bit of floor there was. After making a pot of coffee, hoping it would perk her up, she went into the closet by the front door and pulled out two large garbage bags from a box. As she was shutting the closet door, his shoes stared at her, before she gently shook her head and pressed it all the way shut. Knowing that he was still around, she did her best to be as quiet as possible, but when you throw cans and bottles together, they inevitably clinked together. She got most of the living room cleaned up before the familiar squeak of the floor boards by the door of her bedroom sounded. Still wiping sleep out of his eyes and running his hands through his hair, he made his way down the hall. “Morning” his voice hoarse and groggy. “Good morning. There’s coffee if you want some” she said, continuing to pick up garbage from the floor. When he was standing right in front of her, she thanked her lucky stars that he had put his pants back on because she had no idea what she would’ve done if his junk was pantless right by her face. “Thanks” he said before she looked up at him and realized she was still wearing his shirt. “Oh, sorry. I suppose you want your shirt back” she told him bashfully. “I’ll just go change reall-“ “Tess, it’s okay. Like I said, you look better in it anyways” he said with one of his signature reassuring smiles. “Let me help you” he said as he took the garbage bag from her hand and continued where she left off. She stood and watched him clean up for a couple seconds before she snapped into reality and walked over to the pot of coffee. She poured him a cup and added some milk, just the right amount he liked. “Here” she said as she walked over to him and handed him the mug before sitting on the couch. “Thanks, T” he took the mug from her and took a sip. The first one being pure bliss, evident by the content on his face. He set the bag down and joined her on the couch, and for the first time in a long time of knowing each other, the feeling was awkward. Neither knew what to say, or do. They didn’t know what they were.

_Did last night even really change anything? Did it mean more to her than it did to him, or the other way around? Did they both feel the same? Do they pretend like nothing ever happened?_

“I-“ he started and hesitated for a second before continuing. “I hate to do this, but you know we need to talk about what happened” he finished the thought. She let her head fall back on the couch, looking up at the ceiling, dreading the fact that he would bring it up. Tears were anticipating their escape from her eyes as she thought about what to say. “I just- I can’t right now, I’m sorry” she choked out. “It’s okay” he told her gently. He placed his hand on her thigh, his hand warm against her cold skin. “We have a couple days off. Let’s talk before we get on the plane to nationals, okay?” he suggested as he squeezed her leg, urging her to look at him. “Okay” her soft whisper was followed by tears. “We both need some time to think” he admitted. She met his gaze finally, his sad eyes looking back at her before he stood up and moved his cup to the sink before meeting her back at the couch where she was still sitting. “I think I’m just gonna go. I want to stay, but it’s probably better this way” he concluded and she nodded in agreeance. He went to the hall closet and found his hoodie, pulling it over his bear chest. “Are you sure you don’t want your shirt back?” she insisted as she followed him. “Tess, I see you all the time. You can give it back whenever you remember. No biggie.” She smiled at him and folded her hands over her chest, showing her discomfort. When he had his shoes on and was ready to go, he pulled her into a tight hug. Her arms naturally snaked around his waist as his pulled her in close around her shoulders."Thanks for helping me clean up" she squeaked. He ignored her thanks and brought in more seriously, “Just let me know when you’re ready. I love you, T. Nothing changes that” he muffled into her ear. He pulled away and they both had a sad smile on their face. “Happy new year” he added as he opened the door. “Love you” she said before he closed the door. 

 

_I want your midnight's_

_December 31st_

As the times square special blared on the tv, announcing that it was 11:55 and everyone should get ready for the ball to drop, she was getting the champagne and the glasses ready so everyone could cheers when the clock struck 12. Using the coffee table in the living room in front of the tv as the new serving area, she set all of the glasses down and checked how much time there was left. 11:57. She had three minutes. Everyone was starting to gather around the tv, finding their significant others and keeping them close to share a special kiss. When she saw him sitting in a chair on the other side of the room, intently watching Ryan Seacrest on television, she moved over to where he was. Her drunk persona was much more forward than her sober personality and in a moment like this, she thanked her drunk self for giving her the courage to do what she was about to do. 

“Since everyone else in this room is basically married, I figured I should stick with you” she told him as she plopped herself down right on his lap. “Don’t we equate to a marriage?” he asked her and they both laughed. “Hey guys, 30 seconds!” Zach called from the other side of the room where he was standing with Olivia. She drew her eyes away from where Zach’s voice was coming from and back to his eyes. “I guess we are pretty much married. Does that mean were going to kiss?” she asked him as she moved one hand onto his shoulder. “Well, I’d rather kiss my wife than a total stranger” he joked with her as he moved his hands off of her legs to help her stand up. They joined everyone in counting down from 10 as they all moved closer to the person on their side. Nik getting very close to Laurence, Madi and Adria already kissing, and Olivia basically on top of Zach waiting for the 1 to pass. “3, 2, 1, happy new year!” they all cheered out before kisses began.   
He pulled each of her hips in closer to him as she moved her hands up to cup either of his cheeks before pulling him to meet her lips with his. It was soft and timid at first, the uncertainty of their actions were ever so present, but were quickly forgotten when her tongue couldn’t keep still and danced its way along his lips where he granted her access to deepen the kiss. A flash of a camera coming from the side was a perfect parallel to what they were feeling. The flood gates open and a burst of light, then it was all clear. They should have been doing this way sooner. Madi interrupted their kiss when she brought two champagne glasses over to them and the small Polaroid picture over to them. “Happy New Year!” she drunkenly shouted in their faces as she forced the champagne in each of their hands. They moved together to cheers with the group around the coffee table before taking a large swig of the bubbly liquid. “Oh, here! Before I forget!” Madi pushed her way in between them again, handing Tessa the picture. “That is damn cute” she stammered out before Adria dragged her away to kiss some more. His hand worked it’s way around her hip and she melted into his side, holding the picture up so they could look at it together. “Huh. So that’s what we look like when we kiss” he said, matter of factly. She couldn’t help but giggle at his stupid small comment. “Do we look nice?” she inquired further. “Well, Tessa, if you heard what Madi said, we look damn cute” he cocked his head a little, still looking down on her. A full belly laugh erupted within her and she was doubled over as he helped her stay standing. When she caught her breath again, she found time to respond. She started and stopped her sentence a few times, not quite sure of the right thing to say. A flash of doubt went through her head, but then complete and utter confidence flooded her as she placed her free hand on his neck and stroked his cheek with her thumb. He dipped down to capture her lips with hers again as they continued to kiss. They never seemed to get a moment to themselves, because now it was Adria interrupting them, informing Tessa that Madi was puking and he wanted to know where to find a towel. “Oh no! Okay, let me help you” her concern was very apparent. She started to follow Adria, when Scott grabbed her wrist. “Wait” he said in a tone as if they were in a romance movie. “I want all of your midnights, I always have.” She pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “Wait for me, you can have me after midnight too” she told him with a wink before continuing to follow Adria.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> part 3

_Please don’t ever become a stranger_   
_Who’s laugh I could recognize anywhere_

_January 2nd_

Laying in bed, unable to sleep, her phone buzzed with a new text. When she rolled over to pick her phone up from her bed side table, his name flashed on the screen. Hesitantly, she swiped the message to read it. “I know I said we should take some time to think but please don’t be a stranger. I miss you, T.” A heavy sigh that had been welling in her chest finally escaped its prison. Unsure of a proper response, she held her phone tightly to her chest before it buzzed again with a follow up. “Just let me know you’re okay.” It hadn’t even been a whole day since they spoke or had any contact. Less than a day to most people is nothing, but one day to two people who have spent the last twenty years in each others presence for almost every waking moment of everyday, felt like an eternity. She felt the hole that a day created, as did he, which is why the text he sent made him feel a little bit better. “I’m okay. See you at the rink at 10?” she responded to his text. “Can’t wait” the response quickly came back. She wanted to see him, but she didn’t want to see him. The feeling she felt when she peeked her bedroom door open the day before to see if it was him in bed with her, made it’s way back, threatening to explode out of her chest. She didn’t have any tears left, and at this point tears seemed like a useless investment. They didn’t make her feel any better and they didn’t resolve anything. Rolling over to stop the alarm that started blaring, the time flashed 7 am. The realization that he hadn’t slept either hit her and she couldn’t help but feel it was her fault. “I miss you too.” She typed out quickly and hit send before she could take her thought back. The little message that appeared under the text saying read assured her a little bit, until there was no response. It was like him to leave any given person on read, but not her. The response came five minutes later. “I have a joke to tell you when I see you. Then I can hear that laugh again.” In his head he pictured her full belly laugh as he was telling her a joke that was not even remotely funny, but it was Tessa and she always laughed at his jokes. After reading his response, she let herself giggle a little bit before composing a reply. “Better be a good one then.” 

 

_But I stay when it's hard or it’s wrong or you’re making mistakes_

_January 2nd_

“That sucked” she huffed as she plopped down on the bench in the change room after practice. “I’ m not going to disagree with you there, Virtch” he echoed as he sat on the bench across from her. “I’m-I’m just not focused” she stammered over her words. “I wasn’t on my game either, you know” he spoke softly. He knew what she was thinking about and he was thinking about it too. Silence seemed to fill the space between them recently, more easily than it has in quite a while. She furiously undid her skates, throwing them to the side of her bag, knowing she’d be putting them on again in a couple hours. He just sat across from her, studying her every move closely, determining if he should do something or sit this one out. When both skates were off, she stood up, throwing both of her arms over her head in a stretch, letting out a guttural noise of discomfort. “I need to go clear my head. I’ll see you when we get on the ice again” her voice on the verge of cracking before she put her shoes on, hung up her scarf and headed out of the room. He sat, still in his skates, watching his girl crumble in front of him from something he thought was so good. Now what?  
“Where did you go?” he asked her excitedly when she returned to the dressing room. He left to find some lunch and came right back just in case she was ready. “Did some dancing with Sam” she told him before sitting down in the same spot she was before. “How was that?” he was dying for a normal conversation. “Good, exactly what I needed” she answered simply with a weak smile. “Good to hear” he responded with a genuine smile before he started lacing up his skates again. When they were both ready to head back onto the ice, she sat for a little longer, staring at the ground and twirling a loose thread on her jacket, obviously not paying attention to the fact that he was standing in front of her, waiting for her. “T” his voice rang through her ears. “Oh- sorry, let’s go” she shook her head and popped up quickly and started walking away. “Tessa” he was still standing in the same spot as his voice sounded commanding, causing her to shudder before she turned back to look at him. He slowly walked towards her as if he was approaching a wild animal not wanting to scare it off. When he was close enough he pulled her into his arms, immediately breathing to sync their hearts. She knew they needed to connect, and this was the best way to do that. When he felt she was ready, he pulled away and tucked a loose strand of hair that had fallen out of her high bun behind her ear. “Together. We work best together” his voice soft as he met her gaze. Her reciprocation of a small smile and a little nod was all he needed before they walked out to the rink together, "Can I tell you my joke now?"

_Hold onto the memories, they will hold onto you_   
_And I will hold onto you_

_January 8th_

A week of practice went by. It started rough, but slowly turned up as Nationals came closer and closer. Now, sitting in the airport waiting to board the plane to Vancouver, the realization that the topic of New Years Eve hadn’t been discussed since, and they agreed they would talk before they got on the plane. She was engulfed in a novel as he sat next to her, flipping through a magazine and sipping on a coffee. He briefly pulled his eyes away from his magazine to look at her eyes, laser focused on every word on the page. She felt him looking at her so she finished the sentence she was on and looked up at him, with a reassuring smile. He smiled back at her, the impending conversation hanging over both of their heads, waiting to drop. She sighed before starting. “We had an agreement.” “We did, well I guess we still do” he corrected himself. “I think what we did was a long time coming, but the timing sucked” she just went for it. “What, did it not happen at exactly midnight?” here he went again with the jokes. Trying to supress a giggle, she gave him a side eyed glance before closing her book and folding her hands over her chest. “Scott” she dipped her head down a little further, her look becoming sterner. “Sorry, sorry” he shook his head, bringing the conversation back. “You’re right. That wasn’t exactly post Olympics like we agreed before” he continued. “I think it just caught me really off guard more than anything. Was I expecting to kiss someone at midnight? Not really. If I were to kiss someone at midnight, would it have been you the whole time? Of course” she explained as he nodded and listened intently. “Would you do it all over again?” he asked her, curiously. “What? Kiss you at midnight?” she asked him before answering her own question. “Yes, because next new years is after the Olympics” she smiled at him. “If we were to kiss again, would you want to?” he clarified his last question. “Yes” she answered softly, looking down at her hand that was resting on the cover of her book. “Me too” he followed up. “I just want these next couple months to be about the best skating of our lives. I want these to be some of my best memories, and that’s not going to happen if I keep fighting with myself over you” she continued. “I agree. I would be doing the same thing. I don’t want to let you down. I don’t want to let us down. Let’s enjoy these next couple months. We can come back to this. As long as were good now?” he finished with a question. “Were good” she held out her fist to bump with his and he laughed at her gesture. “Me and you, take on the world!” he exclaimed as he was about to go in for a kiss when she stopped him. “Are you crazy? Not here, and not now. What did I literally just say about bad timing?” “Tess, relax, I was joking” he laughed as she slapped his chest. “That wasn’t a funny joke” she sat up straighter, giving him a harsh look. “Okay, sorry." He sighed before continuing. "If I do that after the Olympics, are you going to stop me?” he asked. “Probably not.” 

 

_There's glitter on the floor after the party_   
_Girls carrying their shoes down in the lobby_   
_Candle wax and Polaroids on the hardwood floor_   
_You and me forevermore_

_February 25th_

The gala was over, and the banquet was wrapping up. The Olympics were over, and it all went exactly according to plan. All of the media was slowly dying down and there was finally time to rest and enjoy the end. She finished up her glass of wine, and he sat next to her, chatting with others at their table. It was late, and they were both feeling the fatigue set in that came with the Olympic games, but he didn’t want to leave it like this. “Ready? I’ll walk you back to your room” he whispered in her ear as he squeezed her thigh under the table. “Yeah” she smiled at him. They bid farewell to the skaters at their table as she linked her arm with his as they wound themselves through the buildings of the village back to the Canada house. Not even halfway back, she stopped them to take off her shoes, opting to carry them instead. “That’s gross that you’re going to walk the rest of the way with no shoes” he pointed out to her. “If you wore shoes like this, you wouldn’t care” she scoffed as she picked up her very tall heels from the ground as they kept walking. They made it back to the Canada house, and athletes were hanging out in the lounge. They agreed they would go back and visit after changing out of formal clothes. When they got up to her room and she opened the door, Kaitlyn was not there yet, so she invited him in. They sat on the edge of her bed together, both sighing heavily as they hit the mattress, exhaling the last two weeks.  
“Now what?” she asked him. “I don’t know” he said slowly. “We always said not to look at the end, but now that were here, I don’t know what to do” she told him, running her hands through her hair, gently pulling on knots that formed over the evening. Sitting in a comfortable silence for a few seconds, he pulled out his wallet from his suit jacket pocket. She watched him open his brown leather wallet, pulling out a very familiar paper. He looked at it before tipping it in her direction to see. “There’s always this” he said with a smirk, referring to the polaroid of them kissing on New Years. “That’s true, there’s always that memory” she responded plainly, before laying her back onto the bed. “It’s after the Olympics, Tess. What are you thinking?” he asked her, bringing his gaze from her back to the photo. “The same thing I’ve been thinking for the last while” she told, taking her gaze off of the ceiling to meet his. She sat up slowly and scooted closer to him. “What are you thinking?” she copied his question. “Lot’s of things.” “Like what?” she inquired.  
“Hmm well, I’m thinking about a seven year old Tessa who wouldn’t talk to me, which makes me think about a twenty year old Tessa before our first Olympic games who wouldn’t stop talking” he laughed as he told his story. “Then I think about Sochi and how I wish we had done that differently, but then I think about how we took off so much time and how I knew exactly what I wanted in that time.” “What did you want?” “I wanted to keep skating. With you and for as long as possible” he said, moving his hand to the small of her bare back. “And then I think about Marie and Patch and their relationship and their life and how I want exactly what they have.” Her eyes turned soft at the thought of Marie and Patch’s life and how he said what she had been thinking. She grinned, full teeth showing, as he continued to rub small circles on her back. He continued. “And now I’m thinking about how we talked about our relationship at the start of the comeback and how much has changed from then till right now. I think about New Year’s a lot.” She cut off his thought, inquiring some more. “What about New Years?” her hand moved it’s way onto his thigh. He laughed as the memories from that night flew in, causing her to giggle, but unsure of what she was giggling at. “How you asked me to cut you off from drinking but then you got mad at me for cutting you off. And then you told me that you would get drunk with me every night if things started going poorly.” She laughed at this memory, only remembering little bits and pieces of that conversation. “But then I remember you falling into my lap and that’s the moment I knew I was going to kiss you” his voice grew soft and his hand slid further around her waist. She moved in closer to him as he continued to recall the memories. “All I see after I think about that is fireworks. It’s so cliché and I hate myself for thinking like this but that’s what I saw when we kissed” he told her as her head fell onto his shoulder. She moved her eyes to the picture he was holding in his other hand. “I thought I had this picture, how did you get it?” she asked softly. “The next morning when it was really awkward” he started as she separated her lips to mouth oh. “You were getting me coffee and I saw it and had to have it” he confessed. Now that the topic had shifted slightly, he asked her a question.   
“When you see this, what do you think about?” she lifted her head from his shoulder and returned her eyes back to meet his. “I think about how I felt the few days after and how I wish Adria never needed a towel for Madi and how I wanted to keep kissing you. Then I think about how you asked me before getting on the plane to Vancouver if I would stop you from kissing me after the Olympics.” “And you said?” he wanted affirmation of her answer. “No.” “Is that still the same?” he asked her, inching his head closer and closer. “Yes” she breathed out before he closed the gap between them, fully connected now in every way.  
They had done all they could’ve imagined and more in their career together, and now they had found another way to stay connected even though their career was coming to a close. When he broke away from the soft kiss they shared, he took one of his hands to cup her cheek as he moved his head towards her ear. “No matter what, we’re together” he muffled into her ear. “No matter what, I love you” she responded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the sappy ending (no I'm not)


End file.
